NEWPORT NEWS, Va., Feb. 10, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Huntington Ingalls Industries (NYSE:HII) announced today that eight of the company's engineers were recognized for achievements in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math during the 28th Black Engineer of the Year Award STEM Global Competitiveness Conference.

Six winners from the company's Newport News Shipbuilding division and two from its Ingalls Shipbuilding division were honored during the conference, which took place Feb. 6-8 in Washington, D.C. Huntington Ingalls Industries was among the corporate and academic sponsors that supported this year's event.

The 2014 Huntington Ingalls Industries Modern Day Technology Award winners are highlighted below. Photos of the winners are available at: http://newsroom.huntingtoningalls.com/Content/Detail.aspx?ReleaseID=920&NewsAreaID=2&ClientID=1

Allen Cason, a mechanical engineer at Newport News, was instrumental in the overall system design and component selection for the Seawolf class of submarines. He continues to support submarine programs in the Integrated Planning Yard, maintaining and modernizing Seawolf- and Los Angeles-class submarines. Cason earned a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from North Carolina A&T State University.

Fernando Gaines, an electrical engineer at Newport News, serves as lead electrical engineer for lighting systems in the refueling and complex overhaul of Nimitz-class aircraft carriers. He is responsible for providing calculations and engineering documentation for a number of systems and helps ensure their proper installation. Gaines holds a bachelor's degree in electronics engineering from Norfolk State University.

Kimberly Grubb, an engineering manager for Newport News, supervises the radiological waste management group for nuclear propulsion overhaul engineering. She has been instrumental in the development of a variety of projects, including the inactivation and defueling waste management plan for the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN 65). This project is the first of its kind and has mainstreamed the way radiological waste is handled and shipped. She holds a master's degree in engineering management from The George Washington University and a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from Hampton University.

Brandon Horton, an electrical engineer at Ingalls, has earned a reputation as one of the company's subject matter experts for its cable-routing program and associated applications, which play an integral role in ship design. His innovations have resulted in significant cost savings and improvements in quality and safety; they also provide designers, engineers and craftsmen with up-to-date information that is critical to making informed decisions. Horton earned a master's degree in electrical engineering from Southern University and A&M College.

Kevin Martin, a manager of design engineering at Newport News, has been involved in numerous projects that have helped to shape and change the way the shipyard designs ships today. His years of hard work, persistence and contributions to the engineering community continue in the Gerald R. Ford-class carrier program. Martin earned a bachelor's degree in industrial technology from Virginia State University.

Benjamin Price, a modeling and simulation engineer for Newport News, has helped the company grow a unique technical capability and has played an important leadership role in the development and implementation of tools that improve efficiency, reduce cost and support on-schedule performance. Price earned a bachelor's degree in computer science and applied mathematics from Alcorn State University.

Roy Townsend Sr., an industrial engineer for Ingalls, currently serves as an industrial engineer for the Zumwalt-class destroyer (DDG 1000) program and as a craft industrial engineer for the amphibious transport dock (LPD) program. He is the liaison between his production management and support teams and has been a key player in helping to develop and review the annual operation plans and budgets with the DDG 1000 program office and craft management team. Townsend holds a bachelor's degree in industrial engineering from North Carolina A&T State University.

Vaughn Walston, an engineering manager at Newport News, serves as the propulsion plant auxiliary system supervisor across all carrier overhaul contracts. He previously served on a shipyard team that addressed the use and control of welding materials and as the primary point of contact for engineering for shipboard piping and valve issues during the refueling and complex overhaul of the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71). Walston earned a mechanical engineering degree from Virginia Tech and holds a master of divinity in intercultural studies from Columbia International University.

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) designs, builds and maintains nuclear and non-nuclear ships for the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard and provides after-market services for military ships around the globe. For more than a century, HII has built more ships in more ship classes than any other U.S. naval shipbuilder at its Newport News Shipbuilding and Ingalls Shipbuilding divisions. Employing more than 38,000 in Virginia, Mississippi, Louisiana and California, HII also provides a wide variety of products and services to the commercial energy industry and other government customers, including the Department of Energy. For more information about HII, visit:

CONTACT: Christie Miller
         (757) 380-3581
         Christine.Miller@hii-co.com

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